Ryu cast a look over his shoulder into the darkness of the palace, then turned back to the other darkness that was all around him; the darkness of night.
Rikugo had made love to him, slow and gentle and oh so tender, and he had briefly forgotten everything connected to his first night in GensouKai, but that had come back the moment his body had calmed down and his mind had unwound out of the myriad of emotions that accompanied his climax.
GensouKai.
His first day had ended in intense sex, a day where he had seen so much without actually visiting all the sights and places, a day where he had had tea with Genbu, one of the four Gods, and a day where he had realized, for the first time, what this whole deal meant for him.
Freedom.
And it scared him so much. Not just because Tsuzuki would take the fall should he fail to return on time, no. Also because of the unlimited space that his mind could no longer comprehend. He was a lifelong prisoner and he had a whole realm to visit now. It created misfires in his mind, it produced a short-circuit, and it made his body tremble with the physical reaction.
It was also the day where he had had his first breakdown outside the Palace, away from Enma-Daiou who might have interfered, and he knew that he wasn't out of the woods yet. His mind wasn't able to deal with it all, and whenever he quieted down long enough, the unbidden thoughts came.
There was a soft noise behind him and he whirled around, his heart hammering in his chest from the panic that had overwhelmed him once before. Ryu tried to fight it each and every time, he had suppressed it in front of his lover when they had arrived, when they had walked through the palace, but it still came. And tonight, feeling so much and trying not to think of the consequences, he was slowly falling apart.
Blond hair, dark eyes, dressed in a light robe -- Ryu fought the panic even harder as his lover joined him outside the palace on the small balcony that overlooked the front yard.
"Ryu?" Rikugo questioned softly.
"Just getting some air," he whispered, voice shaky, and he cursed himself for it.
The tall shikigami approached slowly and Ryu repeated the silent curse that all he wanted to do was embrace this man, have him wrap his arms around him and protect him. He wasn't weak! He was a two thousand year old man! He was a demon, damnit!
And still his mind was so very human, as was his fragmented soul, and he needed the reassurance, and the love.
Rikugo did embrace him and he shivered more, but not from the cold. He felt his lover's touch, his soothing caress, and he heard a gentle voice telling him it was okay.
"It's not," he groaned. "This isn't me!"
"It is you. It is the you that has been freed and is trying to cope with it. I knew this might happen, Ryu, and I want to be there for you."
He groaned softly, burying his head in the silky robe.
"Let me," Rikugo begged softly.
The demon couldn't do anything but simply nod, and a feather-like kiss was placed onto one temple.
"I love you," Rikugo murmured. "I want to help you."
When Ryu looked up, their lips were suddenly locked in a deep, tender kiss, and he held on to the so much stronger form of his shikigami lover.
Ryu loved him with just the same intensity, needed him even more, and he wanted this to work, but it would take time.
"We have time," Rikugo whispered when they parted.
"Forty-eight hours," Ryu replied.
"No. There is no limit."
"But..."
Rikugo framed his face and smiled. "Forty-eight hours where you can roam freely, and the time between each forty-eight hours for me to be with you in the Palace."
Ryu stared at him, then smiled shakily. Yes, the forty-eight hours were for him, not Rikugo. And his lover did come visit whenever he could.
"We can make this work," the astrologer insisted.
"We can," Ryu echoed.
If Tsuzuki could fight his demons, so could he. He wouldn't let any of them down. Not Tsuzuki, not Rikugo.
I won't let you win, Enma.
° ° °
Terazuma Hajime, one of the few shinigami possessed by a shikigami, walked down the wide path that led between the two huge lakes toward the island in the middle where both met, then snaked off toward the wide expanse of grass and wooded area. He loved this place. It was vast and free, though not as wild as the lion inside him sometimes wanted. His shikigami was always drawn to the outermost regions of GensouKai where civilization had not turned nature into a landscaped mockery of what had been before. The Black One, now in balance with his shinigami master he possessed, was much more open about expressing his emotions ever since they had reached an agreement. He would suggest a little flight, some time in the wild, just letting him roam freely, and Terazuma agreed.
Today though, there was no wilderness adventure. He was heading for his meeting with Sohryu, who had been kept busy lately, and he was looking forward to a little time off with his lover. It was when he reached the island with its pagoda and benches and luxurious spread of blooming flowers that he discovered that he wasn't the only one out to enjoy the day in this peaceful environment.
Someone else was there, sitting at the shore of the island, legs pulled up, arms around his knees, face to the sun, his eyes closed. The breeze coming in from the lake ruffled the black hair that looked tousled and wind-blown already.
Curious, Terazuma wondered who he was. He had never seen him here before and from his style of dress he wasn't actually a resident of GensouKai. Or he was one who preferred Western style clothing to the more traditional garb the shikigami wore. As he stood and watched, he picked up a faint ripple along his outer senses. He was used to sensing shikigami everywhere, especially the twelve very powerful Divine Commanders of which one was his partner. What he picked up here was... different.
The Black One rumbled deep in his mind, moving uneasily.
Terazuma felt his eyebrows climb when a pair of fiery red eyes met his and the man blinked, apparently surprised to see him here. And maybe it was his imagination, but did he look afraid for a second.
They just looked at each other, neither man moving a muscle, and then Terazuma resumed his way toward the wooded area at the other end of the lake. His mind pondered the puzzle of this stranger; well, he might have to ask Sohryu about it.
° ° °
The second time Terazuma saw the man was a week later. He was dressed differently, in an almost formal suit with a white shirt, but there was no mistaking the red eyes and the strange aura tickling his senses. The man was standing inside the observatory, looking at astrological charts, and Terazuma was hidden in the shadow of a huge oak tree that grew close by. Just as the shinigami was about to decide whether to approach the stranger or continue his way, a new player appeared.
Rikugo came up behind the dark-haired stranger and Terazuma's eyes widened in surprise as the astrologer wrapped an arm around the slender waist of the visitor and pulled him to rest against his body. The other did so willingly and turned his head, capturing the blond in a gentle kiss that expressed a lot about their relationship.
Terazuma filed it away, his detective mind pondering the puzzle. The dark-haired man was no shinigami, he wasn't a simple human either -- and how could a human find his way into the dream realm? -- but he also wasn't a shikigami. Rikugo seemed to be very close to him, which was also a puzzle, and they also knew each other for a while from the casualty of their encounter.
Sliding around the tree, using the shadow not to be seen, the shinigami picked his way among the smaller trees and walked thoughtfully back to Sohryu's palace. He really had to ask his lover if he knew who the man was.
tbc...